


head over heels

by emmerrr



Series: winter wonderland [1]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Fluff, Ice Skating, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 05:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17016993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmerrr/pseuds/emmerrr
Summary: Blue grabbed Adam’s arm. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier, you can come work at the rink!”“I...what?” Adam wasn’t sure he was following.“It’s perfect, we’re desperate for staff. Ronan won’t care that it’s only temporary because this is our busiest time anyway.” She took her phone out and started tapping away. “I’ll send him your number and put in a good word for you.”Adam hadn’t actually met any of the Lynches, just had them pointed out to him briefly by Blue. “Which one’s Ronan again? The hot, surly one?”Blue looked absolutely delighted. “I am so telling him you said that.”





	head over heels

**Author's Note:**

> a while ago on tumblr i reblogged a cute winter prompts list. this is my very loose take on the prompt "i sit at the rental booth at our local ice rink and watch you teach children how to skate" which no one asked me to do, i just really really wanted to. it got...so out of hand. (if you're one of the people who sent me other prompts, i'm getting to them -- they won't be as long as this one though!)

The dark clouds that had been brewing all afternoon finally broke as Adam walked up the street towards his and Blue’s favourite bar, and he pulled his jacket tighter around him. Rain splashed against his face and he ducked his head against it until he’d reached his destination.

As soon as he stepped inside he was hit by a welcoming warmth, enough to instantly lift his spirits, if only temporary. A quick sweep of the bar told Adam he was the first to arrive, so he bought drinks then took them over to his and Blue’s usual booth to wait for her.

Slowly nursing his bottle of beer, Adam checked his email on his phone while he waited. There were three new emails in there, all rejections for jobs he’d been rapidly applying to over the last couple of weeks. These emails were just the latest in a string of rejections, and Adam exited his email app and put his phone in his pocket where he couldn’t see it.

He was busy scowling at the door when Blue got there, and she waved when she spotted him.

“You look cheerful,” she said when she reached him, kissing him on the cheek before sliding into the booth opposite him. “I’m guessing the job search isn’t going well?”

Adam sighed expansively. “No one wants to hire someone who’s only available for three months,” he said. He had a job lined up as a social worker but it didn’t start until the end of January as he was taking over for someone who was retiring. Adam needed something to tide him over until then, and his old job at the auto-shop was no longer available.

“You know what you should do?”

“What.”

Blue slurped her wine obnoxiously. “You should stop _telling_ them you’ll be leaving in three months.”

There was probably some truth to this, but Adam didn’t really feel comfortable going down that route. He wanted to be upfront. “There’s plenty of jobs that have fast turnaround, like waitstaff and bartenders,” he tried, but then shrugged self-deprecatingly. “Except I couldn’t even get a restaurant gig because I don’t have server’s experience.”

“Yeah, how is it that you’ve had like a million different jobs over the years and yet somehow you’ve never had to be a server? Or work in a bar?”

“I don’t know,” Adam grumbled tiredly. It wasn’t like he didn’t have customer service experience. “I have...I have transferable skills.”

“You really do. I don’t get it. _I’d_ hire you,” Blue said sympathetically, patting his hand. “Will you be okay until your job starts if you don’t find anything?”

Adam shrugged. He had savings; in theory, he had enough in his account to cover his rent and basic necessities until he was on a steady paycheck again, but he didn’t really want to _have_ to put a dent in his savings. He wanted a buffer.

“Can we—let’s talk about something else,” he said.

Blue responded with gusto, immediately downing her drink and heading back to the bar for some more.

She reappeared with a tray of shots and plonked them down in front of Adam.

“Oh, _Blue,”_ he complained. “It’s not even seven, it’s too early for shots.”

Blue ignored this and instead pushed the tray closer. “Come on. Let’s get drunk like we’re still teenagers.”

Adam had never gotten drunk when he was _actually_ a teenager, but he supposed he appreciated the sentiment.

“What even _is_ this?” he asked, frowning at the clear liquid.

Blue’s grin was near devilish. “Sambuca.”

Adam glared; he’d once spent a very miserable day on the bathroom floor thanks to Sambuca and Blue was well aware of that fact. But he had been a little younger then. He was now a grown-up, goddamnit, and he knew his limits.

He picked up his shot and Blue beamed, victorious. They both downed their shots when she had counted down from three.

From there on out the evening grew increasingly hazier, the conversation veering off course repeateadly as soon as one of them got distracted and went off on a tangent.

They were several drinks in, and Adam at least was about ready to call it a night when Blue got onto the topic of her day at work. Blue worked at Cabeswater Ice Rink, a local family-owned place. Adam had only been inside on a couple of occasions when he’d met Blue after a shift. Now, she was throwing a lot of information and a lot of names at him very quickly, and Adam focused in and out, his head swimming in a way that had him sure he’d have a headache in the morning.

“...and it’s just been so hectic because Declan finally left for D.C. so Ronan took over the whole place and is trying to sort everything out but he’s stressed so being an absolute asshole about it all, and Matthew can only help when he’s back from school and...oh!” Blue grabbed Adam’s arm. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier, you can come work at the rink!”

“I...what?” Adam wasn’t sure he was following.

“It’s _perfect,_ we’re desperate for staff. Ronan won’t care that it’s only temporary because this is our busiest time anyway.” She took her phone out and started tapping away. “I’ll send him your number and put in a good word for you.”

Adam hadn’t actually met any of the Lynches, just had them pointed out to him briefly by Blue. “Which one’s Ronan again? The hot, surly one?”

Blue looked absolutely delighted. “I am _so_ telling him you said that.”

“Blue, wait—”

“Aaaaand send.” Blue looked up, but the smile fell off her face when she got a good look at Adam’s expression. “I didn’t really tell him you think he’s hot, don’t worry. Just the needing a job thing.”

Instead of struggling to process that fact that Blue had basically just applied for a job for him by proxy, Adam decided to forget about it. Ronan would likely be able to tell Blue was drunk and so not take her text seriously, no harm done. Nothing would come of it, which meant Adam was fine to dislodge it from his brain. He shook his head. “S’okay. What were we talking about?”

Blue hummed in thought, then gasped and slammed her hands down on the table dramatically. “Guess who’s engaged again?”

“...Orla?”

“Orla!”

Adam let Blue launch into the story of Orla’s latest whirlwind romance, all thoughts of job worries pleasantly fading to black.

 

* * *

 

Waking up was every bit as painful as Adam had predicted it would be. Head ringing, throat dry, and mouth distinctly feeling like carpet, he blinked his eyes open. On his bedside table was a glass of water and some aspirin that he’d obviously remembered to put there the night before.

“Good job, drunk-me,” he croaked, and swung his legs out of bed.

He took an aspirin and drank the whole glass of water before attempting to actually stand up, then stumbled out to the kitchen to refill his glass. Once he’d finished that one he felt marginally more human, but still vowed not to let Blue buy him sambuca ever, ever again.

As he had nowhere to be, Adam took his time showering. The water was warm and soothing, and his hungover state made it easier for him not to mentally think about water bills for once. It had been a long time since he’d been stretched so thin that getting his water switched off was a concern, but habits were habits for a reason, and Adam’s ingrained frugality was a hard one to break.

He’d be fine if he didn’t find a temp-job. He knew he’d be fine. He wanted to be _better_ than fine, though. He didn’t want to have to count pennies for every purchase from now until February.

The wind was howling outside; Adam watched from his kitchen window as the tree outfront whipped to-and-fro, scattering autumn leaves and whisking them away. He knew that he really _should_ get back to his job hunt, but he couldn’t quite muster the energy today. And besides, it was already the afternoon, and it wasn’t a very nice day, and a million other excuses Adam could think of, even if the only person he was making excuses to was himself.

That decision having been made, Adam opened the fridge and stared at the contents to see what, if anything, he could scrounge up a meal from.

He was still making his mind up when his phone started buzzing on the kitchen table behind him. Fully expecting it to be Blue complaining about her own hangover, Adam turned to look at the caller-ID. It was a number he didn’t recognise and Adam hesitated. He didn’t like to answer unknown numbers, but seeing as he had been applying to lots of jobs lately, it seemed like tempting fate to ignore this one.

Clearing his throat, he picked it up. “Hello?”

 _“Is that Parrish? Adam Parrish?”_ The voice was a little rough, a little harried, like the speaker was in a rush, or just really stressed.

“Um...yes? Who is this?”  

_“Ronan Lynch. I got Sargent’s message last night, she passed along your number.”_

Adam silently mouthed the name Ronan Lynch, wondering why it sounded so familiar, and then it came back to him in flashes like a drunken fever-dream. Ronan worked at the ice-rink. The ice-rink was heading into its busiest time of year. Blue and her bright ideas and her goddamn _phone..._

Adam wasn’t sure he wanted a job at the rink.

“Oh,” he managed weakly when he realised he hadn’t said anything. “Hi, Mr Lynch. How can I help you?”

He cringed at how stuffy he sounded, but he couldn’t help it. He felt a little blindsided.

_“Listen, I’m short-staffed and up to my ears in fucking paperwork and I don’t have time to do a lengthy search for new people right now. Sargent vouched for you and she wouldn’t vouch for just anyone. So if you want it, the job’s yours.”_

Adam froze, stunned. All he’d been doing the last couple of weeks was look for a job, and now one had practically fallen out of the sky and he didn’t feel prepared for it. “Mr Lynch—”

_“You really don’t have to call me that.”_

“...Ronan,” Adam amended carefully. He decided honesty really was the best policy. “I’m sorry. I’m only looking for something short-term before I start a new job at the end of January. I don’t know what Blue told you, but we were out drinking last night and I don’t really remember much.”

 _“Yeah, I could tell. She called me ‘lunch’ instead of Lynch. And it’s fine that it’s short-term, it gives me time to find someone else. I just need someone_ now, _to help with the busy period_.”

He really seemed desperate, and Adam couldn’t deny the fact that he sort of wanted to help. He chewed on his lip anxiously; he didn’t even know what the job _was_. “Look, I don’t even know how to skate.”

_“...Do you know how to ask people what shoe size they are?”_

“Well...yeah.”

 _"Fucking fantastic. Come to the rink tomorrow morning at eight.”_ Without another word, Ronan hung up, leaving Adam wondering what the hell had just happened.

 

* * *

 

At five minutes to eight the following morning, Adam pulled into the parking lot of Cabeswater Ice Rink.

There were no other cars there except for a shark-nosed BMW that had mud splattered up the side. Adam lowered his forehead onto the top of his steering wheel and sighed. “What am I doing here,” he mumbled.

He’d called Blue after hanging up with Ronan the day before and filled her in. She, too, had forgotten her involvement in the whole thing, but was absolutely delighted with the outcome.

[ _“This is perfect! You’ll get to hang out with_ me _everyday! Just don’t let Ronan scare you off when you meet him.”_

 _“Wait, what do you mean_ —”

 _“Gotta go, byeeee!”_ ]

All in all, Adam was feeling...apprehensive.

Finally gathering himself, he got out of the car and headed over to the entrance. He pulled on the door handle but it didn’t budge. Pushing it had the same effect, and Adam determined that it was very, very locked.

He peered through the glass but couldn’t make out much; it was too dark inside. Adam rocked back on his heels. He was sure Ronan had said to meet at eight.

Taking the BMW in the lot to be a good sign that someone was here, Adam walked around the corner of the building in search of a back way in. He soon came across another door, smaller than the main entrance and somewhat nondescript. The important thing was that it was wedged open, and Adam stepped inside.

He found himself in a narrow corridor, made even more cramped by the several unopened boxes that seemed to have taken up residence on the floor. This was clearly an area that was supposed to be staff-only. Straight ahead at the end of the corridor was a door that looked like it led to the rink. On the right was another door, and to Adam’s immediate left was a staircase. He could hear movement coming from up there; things being shuffled around, a thud, muffled cursing.

“Hello?” Adam called up tentatively. It went deathly silent. “It’s Adam Parrish.”

There was a pause before a curt reply: “Bring up a box.”

“Which box?”

 _“Any_ box.”

Burdened with too much choice, Adam finally just grabbed the nearest one, adjusting the weight in his arms when it was heavier than he had anticipated. He carefully climbed the stairs to find there was only one room up here, the door to which was wide open. He stepped over the threshold.

“Hi,” he said.

Ronan Lynch, who had apparently been stacking _more_ boxes in the corner of the room, turned at Adam’s voice. Adam had never seen him this close up before, but he stuck with his original assessment — hot and surly.

Ronan gave Adam a quick once over and raised an eyebrow. “You actually showed,” he said. “Thought you might bail. You sounded kinda skittish on the phone.”

“I was hungover, not skittish, and _you_ sounded kinda desperate, so here I am,” Adam replied.

Ronan sort of half-smirked, there and gone so fast Adam wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined it. “Altruistic streak?”

Adam shrugged — with difficulty as he was still carrying the box. “It’s not really altruistic if I’m gonna be getting paid. Where can I put this?”

Waving a flippant hand, Ronan said, “Anywhere,” then went over to sit at the computer.

“Alright,” Adam said, then placed his box on top of one of the other boxes Ronan had already stacked. He put his hands in his pockets and turned back. “What’s in all these anyway?”

“Replacement skates,” Ronan said bluntly.

“You need that many right now?”

A muscle in Ronan’s jaw twitched. “Me and Declan both ordered new stock without telling the other so now I have double what I need.”

Adam had clearly touched upon a sore subject. “I thought Blue said that Declan had left.”

“He _has._ He just obviously didn’t think I was capable of ordering shit like I’m supposed to and just assumed I’d forget. But I _didn’t_ forget and now I’m drowning in fucking boxes of fucking skates that I don’t fucking need.”

“Well,” Adam said diplomatically, sensing Ronan was on the cusp of a rant, “at least you’ll have plenty.”

Ronan scowled. “Now you sound like Matthew.”

Adam assumed that Matthew was the reasonable brother.

Other than holding a computer, the desk at which Ronan was now sitting was overflowing with various bits of paper that Adam had no doubt were incredibly important. Ronan clicked angrily at the mouse and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.

“It’s sort of a mess in here,” Adam said conversationally.

“How very observant you are,” Ronan grunted. “I don’t pay extra for that, by the way.”

“Yeah, about that, what will you actually be paying me for…?”

Ronan swivelled slowly in his chair, pinning Adam with an inscrutable stare. Adam just blinked back at him, and Ronan frowned, squinting as if trying to place him. “I’ve seen you before.”

“There’s a good chance,” Adam said with a shrug. “I’ve been in a couple times to meet Blue.”

“That must be it,” Ronan said. With a hefty sigh, he got to his feet. “Alright, follow me.”

 

* * *

 

Ronan gave Adam a perfunctory mini-tour of the rink and its amenities (which consisted of a tiny cafe, bathrooms and a locker room, and a couple of vending machines), taken him behind the booth that stored all of the skates, briefly told him what to do, and then left him to acclimatise himself before the place opened at nine.

The job was simple enough. Adam didn’t need to worry about taking any money as there was a payment desk by the entrance where another member of staff would sort that out, and skate rental was included in the price. Ronan had brusquely informed him that a lot of their custom was from regulars who had memberships anyway. So all Adam had to do when someone approached his booth was ask them what shoe size they wore, get them the right skates from the shelves behind him, then deposit the skater’s shoes in the same cubbies he got their skates from. The skates and cubbies had corresponding numbers, so when the skaters had finished on the ice, Adam just had to match the numbers to replace the skates and return the shoes. Easy.

Blue and a couple of other staff members showed up shortly after Ronan had vanished, and Blue offered Adam a breezy smile.

“You got this?”

“I...yeah?” Adam said. “Think so.”

“That’s the can-do attitude I like to see,” she said, grinning as she stepped behind the booth. She flipped a couple of switches and all of the overhead lights came on, plus some disco lights over the rink.

Blue then opened a cupboard under the counter. “The sound system’s in here,” she said, then pressed another button. Ariana Grande started to play. “Top 100 stuff will do for this morning.”

She closed the cupboard again and stood up. She took hold of Adam’s wrist so she could look at his watch. “Alright, I better go and open the doors now. When there’s people on the ice, I have to be on the ice, but Ronan should be back down soon if you need any help. Are you okay? Was Ronan nice to you?”

Adam shrugged. “‘Nice’ is a strong word. He wasn’t outright hostile, at least.”

“Huh,” Blue said. “He must like you.”

For some inexplicable reason, Adam felt himself blush.

Luckily, Blue didn’t notice, already stepping away towards the entrance. “Okay, showtime. You’re gonna do fine.”

 

* * *

 

The morning passed by quicker than Adam thought it would.

A lot of people had come in when Blue first opened the door which meant Adam was somewhat thrown into the deep-end and left to swim. But whilst it was busy, there wasn’t exactly a hell of a lot he could get wrong.

After the initial rush people started to trickle in instead, meaning Adam only had to sort out maybe a couple of people at a time, and then had nothing to do for long stretches of time. He made a mental note to bring a book tomorrow.

He caught sight of Blue skating around a few times, stopping to take photos of customers who asked her to, helping people up when they fell down if they needed, generally being someone on the ice to help. Adam knew that she taught lessons as well, but assumed they were scheduled for different times, rather than taking place during a general public session.

Ronan appeared and then disappeared again sporadically, sometimes checking on the rink, sometimes talking on his phone with a most distasteful expression on his face. Adam couldn’t say he knew anything about managing an ice-rink, but Ronan sure didn’t seem like he was enjoying it so far.

By around midday, the place had almost completely emptied out again, only a couple of people left on the ice and the session would draw to a close soon. Adam finished putting away a pair of skates and then leaned forward on the counter.

Blue, still over at the rink, caught his eye and waved. He waved back and then scanned the rest of the room. There was no immediate sign of Ronan, but the guy who ran the little cafe was making a beeline for Adam with a smile on his face and a takeout cup in his hand.

He put it in front of Adam’s hands on the counter with an exuberant, “Hey!”

“Hey,” Adam replied, only a little startled.

“You’re Adam, right?” At Adam’s nod, he continued, “I’m Noah. That’s for you, by the way. Hot chocolate. But I can get you coffee or tea or something else if you’d prefer?”

Adam was touched by the thought. “Hot chocolate’s great, man, thanks. What do I owe you?”

“Nothing,” Noah said. “Staff eat and drink free here, so long as they do it when it’s quiet.”

“Oh, that’s awesome.” He took a sip of the hot chocolate, which was delicious and warming, and he couldn’t help the contented little sigh he let out.

Noah beamed and hopped up onto the counter to sit. “It’s good, right? I’ve been perfecting it.”

At that moment, Ronan emerged from a back door that Adam presumed led to some sort of store-room. He noticed Noah sitting on Adam’s counter and rolled his eyes.

“Nice to see you’re busy, Noah. The fuck am I paying you for?”

Noah was unperturbed. “Adam looked thirsty.”

“I’m sure he can look after himself.”

“Well, yeah, but how was he to know he’s entitled to my delicious hot chocolates for _free_ when you didn’t even tell him, boss?”

Ronan’s eyes flickered to Adam briefly, then back to Noah.

“I was getting to it. And stop calling me ‘boss’, it’s fucking weird.”

Noah leapt off the counter and saluted. “Yes, sir!”

Ronan flipped Noah off and walked away, back to his office to do whatever other managerial duties were on his agenda for today. Noah watched him go with a smile on his face, then when he was out of sight, hopped back up onto the counter.

Adam quickly analysed the interaction he’d just witnessed, surmised that Noah and Ronan were probably friends, and weighed up how to delicately phrase his question. “Is Ronan always so…” He trailed off, hoping Noah would finish the sentence for him.

“Abrasive?”

Abrasive had been exactly what Adam was going for, and he nodded with a sheepish smile.

Noah laughed. “A little, yeah. I mean, don’t be fooled, there’s a heart of gold in there. He _has_ been known to be a bit of an asshole though. And at the minute his stress levels are through the roof.”

“Because his brother left?”

Noah nodded. “Yeah. It was always gonna happen, Declan never wanted to stay here for the long haul. His heart wasn’t really in it.”

“What’s the deal with this place anyway? I’m sure Blue told me that their mom runs it?”

“It’s a long story,” Noah said.

Adam gestured around them to the almost empty ice-rink. “I’ve got nothing but time.”

Noah got down off the counter and came around to the same side of the booth as Adam. He sat in the chair and leaned back, settling in.

“Okay, so way back in the day, Ronan’s mom, Aurora, was like a champion figure skater, and his dad, Niall, was her trainer. After they’d got married and had kids, they bought this place and ran it together, and Ronan and his brothers learned to skate here when they were little and worked here as soon as they were old enough and it was a really nice family-run place for a really long time.

“A few years ago, Niall died in a car accident, and it obviously hit the whole family super hard. The rink closed down for a while and Aurora didn’t seem to want anything to do with it all anymore. Eventually, Declan and Ronan opened it back up again, convinced that at some point Aurora would come around and take an interest again. She comes in sometimes but she never skates and Declan told Ronan that he wanted to sell it because what was the point in keeping it if their mom didn’t want it anymore either. But Ronan got mad because he still loves this place and said it was their legacy. So Declan told him that if he wanted it so badly then _he_ could be in charge.”

“So now he _is_ in charge,” Adam said.

“Right. Except I don’t think he really _wants_ to be in charge, he just doesn’t want to see the rink in someone else’s hands.”

“...Then why doesn’t he just employ a new manager but retain ownership?”

Noah shrugged. “I think part of it is he’s just trying to prove to Declan that he can do it. He’s a stubborn ass. They both are.”

Adam shook his head. “It sounds like he’s making himself miserable just to prove a point.”

“Oh, he definitely, definitely is,” Noah said, then shrugged in a _what can you do?_ gesture. “But also, if he was gonna let someone else manage it, it couldn’t be just anyone, y’know?”

“What about the other brother, the younger one. Matthew? Does he want to keep the rink?”

“I think Matthew just wants to keep the peace, he’s a sweetheart. I mean, he loves this place too, but I don’t think any of them love it like Ronan does. Anyway, Matthew’s at college right now, but you’ll meet him when he’s home for Thanksgiving. Ronan’s bound to make him work a shift or two.”

Adam nodded slowly, processing the story Noah had just told him. He felt like he had a better idea of where he was working now that he had a base idea of what was going on behind the scenes. Considering the manager handover from Declan to Ronan had happened so quickly and that it included difficult family dynamics, it was possible that Cabeswater Ice Rink was going to be a disorganised place to work.

Then again, Adam was only here for three months, and a job was a job.

At the very least, he thought he maybe understood a little more about Ronan.

Noah seemed to think he’d scared Adam off, because he quickly said, “Don’t take his shitty mood personally. It’s just—”

“Oh wait, don’t tell me,” Adam interrupted. “He’s got a hard exterior but underneath it all he’s a giant softie?”

“Well, _yeah,_ pretty much,” Noah said with a laugh. He got to his feet just as the last skaters started to approach the booth to pick up their shoes. “Heads-up, Adam, duty calls.”

 

* * *

 

Ronan only spoke to Adam once more on that first day just before he left, to confirm that he was happy to come back the next day. When Adam said that he was, Ronan nodded, unsmiling, and said they could sort out a proper shift pattern then.

The next day, Adam remembered to bring a book for the downtime, but instead Ronan had piled several of the boxes of new ice-skates in the booth and was having Adam unpack them and put them away.

It was a tedious task but it took most of the day when it was interspersed with Adam’s other duties, as well as his break.

Late afternoon on the day of Adam’s third shift, he was busy in his booth sorting out the mess of recently returned skates from the last free session when he heard a tiny unfamiliar voice from behind him.

“Hello.”

He turned to see a little girl, probably around eight or so. She had blonde hair chopped to her chin and was wearing a white skull-cap pulled down so far he was surprised she could see.

Adam smiled. “Hello.”

“You’re new,” she said, and it almost sounded like an accusation.

“Yep, I just started a few days ago. I’m helping out for a couple months.” There was no immediate response, and then he added as an afterthought, “My name is Adam.”

The girl considered this and nodded, reaching her hand towards him — with some difficulty as there was a counter between them and she really was quite tiny. “I’m Opal.”

Adam gently shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Opal.”

“Oi, brat, you’re early.”

Adam and Opal turned to see that Ronan had appeared apparently out of nowhere — Adam was starting to wonder whether or not he could teleport — and was now leaning against the counter of Adam’s booth.

Opal grinned and ran straight over to him, and they then proceeded to carry out a super complicated looking handshake. Adam wondered how long it had taken them to come up with it and couldn’t help but smile; he got the feeling that Ronan was pointedly not looking at him.

“I had a club after school and then we didn’t have time to go home after before I had to come here,” Opal explained when they had finished. “But since I’m _already_ here, can I go on the ice _now?_ ”

“You know the rules,” Ronan said. “You can’t go on there without supervision.”

“Yeah, duh,” Opal said with an impressive eye roll. “But you’re right here and you don’t look busy.”

Adam stifled a laugh and Ronan glanced at him, his own lip quirking in amusement.

“Alright, squirt, go and ask Adam for your skates then.”

Opal beamed and kicked her shoes off, before picking them up and placing them on the counter in front of Adam. “Kids size 5, please.”

Adam got her the right ones and put her shoes in the cubby, and by the time he turned back around she was already skipping off towards the benches that lined the outer wall of the rink to put her skates on.

Ronan’s own skates were kept under the counter, and he came around to get them.

“I just have one question,” Adam said.

Ronan sighed. “What.”

“Did you come up with that handshake, or did Opal? Because either way, it’s impressive.”

Ronan snorted. “It was a joint effort, Parrish.” He headed after Opal, pausing and turning around, walking backwards and offering Adam a half shrug. “Opal will teach you, if you’re lucky.”

“So you’re saying _you_ won’t teach me?” Adam called after him, unable to help himself.

Ronan smirked but didn’t answer and then turned back around, hurrying to join Opal who looked like she was getting impatient at the entrance to the rink.

It was a smirk, Adam decided, that he wanted to see again.

 

* * *

 

It turned out that Opal had a little gang of three other kids, and they all had a lesson with Ronan twice a week whilst their parents/guardians sat in the cafe and let Noah charm them into buying copious amounts of coffee and cake.

Whenever the lessons Ronan taught took place, Adam got so caught up in watching that he got little — if anything — else done.

It was ridiculously adorable that Ronan had this small group of kids trailing him around the ice like ducklings, but Adam most liked seeing how whenever Ronan stepped on to the ice to teach them, he seemed to relax in a way that he didn’t really when he had his manager’s hat on.

Adam had so far only seen glimpses of this version of Ronan. He saw it in some of Ronan’s interactions with Noah and Blue, the staff members he was by far the closest to. He saw it sometimes in the mornings when he got to work, when it was just him and Ronan and Ronan had yet to do anything involving budgets and rotas and general organisation.

In particular, Ronan seemed to hate talking on the phone. He often tried to get Blue to make or take calls for him, to varying degrees of success. It depended on how effective his puppy-dog eyes were. (If he used them on Adam, they’d work every damn time, but that was a thought he didn’t want to dwell too much on.)

All things considered, Adam was enjoying working at the rink far more than he had anticipated. It really _was_ nice to get to see Blue at work; it meant they could add more in-jokes to their ever-expanding repertoire.

Noah had become a very fast friend, the kind of person that you couldn’t help but like thanks to his easy-going attitude and general friendly demeanor. Not to mention the various hot-beverage concoctions he came up with. He was always after people to try them, and Adam was more than willing to play guinea-pig.

And Ronan, too. Adam couldn’t deny that Ronan was someone he had begun to look forward to seeing every day; that every time — deliberate or accidental — he made Ronan laugh felt like a personal achievement. Again, he didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

Regardless of that, Adam just liked how low-stress his days were. At his jobs in the past, there had always been someone to impress, something niggling in the back of his mind that would never let him relax. The fact that Ronan had explicitly hired him on a temporary basis took all of the pressure off. This arrangement was mutually beneficial to both of them, and Adam liked that he was able to help out a small, local-run company that needed the extra pair of hands.

He _liked_ working there. It felt like he was making new friends, and Adam was immensely enjoying figuring out how they all worked individually and with each other.

He learned that although Noah was indeed bright and bubbly, he also very much fed off the energy of other people, so when the rink went quiet and there were no customers in his little cafe he would go into a lethargic slump until someone (usually Blue) went to drag him out of it.

He learned that Blue and Ronan both loved driving the Zamboni, so they played rock-paper-scissors for it every time the ice needed resurfacing. Cabeswater was a public ice-rink. It was many times a day. (Ronan was currently on a winning streak, much to Blue’s chagrin.)

He learned that Ronan lived in an apartment not too far away from the rink but that he returned to his family’s property, about forty minutes away, as often as he could to see his mother. Adam met Aurora Lynch, too, when she came in to watch a couple of the lessons.

There was something wistful and yet heart-wrenchingly sad in her expression as she watched Ronan teach the kids, but every time he looked at her she smiled and waved. Ronan softened a little in her presence.

As Ronan walked her out later on, she introduced herself to Adam with a warm handshake and a generous smile. “It’s such a pleasure, Adam, Ronan’s mentioned you a few times.”

Adam smiled wryly and glanced at Ronan with a raised eyebrow. The thought of himself existing to Ronan even outside of work made his heart do a flip for no good reason.

Ronan just rolled his eyes at Aurora and steered her away from the booth, but she grinned at Adam over her shoulder and he waved back.

Adam also learned the handshake that Opal and Ronan had invented. Opal taught it to him, Ronan heckling him from the sidelines. It took a couple of weeks, but he soon got it down-pat.

He very quickly became used to this new routine, so much so that he’d sometimes forget it was even temporary. He wanted to soak it up while he could, this surprise job of fortune he’d come across, because before he knew it his routine would be changing once again.

Adam was excited about his upcoming position, but it was going to be challenging in a whole different way. Adam was used to challenges, and he knew he’d adapt, but that made him realise it was also prudent to enjoy this relative downtime while he could.

And yet he found himself wanting to come in earlier, stay later, catch Ronan more times when he was on his own and coax more laughs and stories out of him.

Adam wasn’t stupid. He knew what was brewing underneath. He just didn’t want to acknowledge it yet.

 

* * *

 

One of Adam’s responsibilities was the music.

Admittedly this wasn’t a _huge_ responsibility as all he essentially had to do was select a playlist, press play, and maybe adjust the volume. There were a great many playlists to choose from, including personal playlists for everyone who worked at the rink.

Noah’s was a pop-punk explosion with a heavy bias towards the mid-2000s, which meant a lot of Blink-182, a lot of early Fall Out Boy, Sum-41, and other bands of that ilk. Adam quite enjoyed Noah’s playlist; it was upbeat and fun, and even if you didn’t necessarily know all of the songs, they still sounded familiar enough that it didn’t really matter. It was one of the more public-friendly playlists, though, and Adam usually played it in the afternoons before they got their second big rush of the day when the schools let out. It went down great with the teenagers.

Blue’s playlist was the most eclectic of the bunch. There was a mixture of genres, a mixture of the well-known to the downright obscure, and absolutely no overarching theme tying all of the songs together. Adam tended to play it later on when they had closed to the public and were tidying the place up because he ended up having to skip too many songs if he played it while there were paying customers in there.

There were general themed playlists on there as well. Adam hadn’t played all of them but he’d searched through them out of interest. The one labeled ‘Valentine’s Day’ predictably featured a lot of power-ballads as well as some more modern, fun love songs — a lot of Carly Rae Jepson. The Christmas playlist would soon be introduced into the rotation as well. Adam didn’t necessarily have anything against Christmas songs, but imagined Michael Bublé’s crooning would get very old very quickly.

There was a general top-100 playlist that got updated pretty regularly, and a sort of kidz bop special that was useful for when there was a kids birthday party going on, and a Motown mix that was very popular. There was a classic rock mix, a 90s grunge mix, and a 70s disco mix, but Adam’s personal favourite was the 80s classics.

It was a lot of synth-pop. What wasn’t there to love?

Ronan’s playlist wasn’t labeled as ‘Ronan’s playlist’, it was labeled as ‘RONAN MY EARS ARE BLEEDING’, although Adam was unsure who had named it that. He had never heard it played, but it was no secret that Ronan’s usual music of choice was techno/electronica/drum and bass; it could usually be heard pulsing out of the headphones that were draped around his neck more often than not.

Apparently, this playlist was the only one that ever used to get played, and everyone else got so sick of it that they held a vote and decreed that it was banned from the rink for an entire year. Ronan was currently ten months into this sentence, but Adam rather thought he was starting to crumble.

“I swear, if I hear Rick Astley one more fucking time…” he grumbled on more than one occasion.

One morning when Adam arrived at the rink, Ronan wasn’t in the office like usual, and instead Adam found him skating around in circles on the ice.

Adam watched for a moment. There was something understatedly graceful about Ronan when he was skating. Apparently he’d never been interested in going professional or anything like his mother had done, but the fact that he still skated every day and that he was so determined to hold onto Cabeswater told Adam everything he needed to know.

Ronan loved it. He loved skating for the fun of it, he loved teaching others the joy of it, and he loved this place that was part of his family’s legacy. Ronan was the most at home here, and it was as simple as that.

Before Ronan noticed him, Adam slipped away to his booth and behind the counter to the music system. He selected Ronan’s playlist and pressed play then hopped up onto the counter to sit there in full view of the rink as the bassline started to kick in over the speakers.

The surprise of the music playing made Ronan start, but he recovered quickly and snapped his head around towards the source. He spotted Adam instantly and went still, but then he smiled. It wasn’t sharp like the smiles Adam had become used to. It was a softer, intrinsically more private thing and it made Adam’s heart clench.

Ronan skated over to the entryway of the ice-rink and leaned up against the wall.

“Pretty sure this is on the no-play list until January, Parrish.”

Adam shrugged, grinning. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

 

* * *

 

One Wednesday afternoon, the rink had closed to the public from 1pm so that they could get the place set up for a birthday party starting at four-thirty.

Once they’d put up most of the decorations, Noah and Blue went to pick up all the cupcakes Noah had made for the occasion. Knowing Blue and Noah, they’d also stop for coffee, so they’d most likely be a while.

In the meantime, Ronan and Adam were the only ones at the rink, blowing up balloons using a little helium gas canister, Adam’s favourite 80s music blaring through the overhead speakers.

“How many of these do you even think we need?” Ronan said after tying off the end of his fourth balloon.

“I dunno, all of them probably?”

“All of them? Parrish, there’s fucking—” Ronan grabbed the pack and turned it around to read the front—“thirty balloons in here. No fucking way.”

Adam said nothing, but started filling up the next one. Ronan watched and then sighed, grabbing another one.

“It’s a fucking safety issue really,” Ronan complained. “What if one of them ends up on the ice and a kid skates over it and trips?”

“Well they’re not gonna end up on the ice, they’re gonna end up on the ceiling,” Adam said.

“Oh _fuck,_ I didn’t even think about that.”

“Then they’ll eventually deflate, and _then_ they’ll fall onto the ice and someone will trip.”

“Exactly, Parrish. Safety issue. That was exactly my point.”

“Sure,” Adam agreed amiably.

They arranged the balloons in groups of three, tied together and weighted down so they wouldn’t fly away. No doubt there’d be at least one instance of a balloon escaping and flying off into the air, but this should at least minimise the likelihood. They placed the balloon displays on the tables in the cafeteria, as well as dotting a few others about the place.

The last two, they put on either side of Adam’s booth, and after that, there was nothing to do but wait.

Adam went behind the counter and sat in the chair, briefly checking his emails on his phone. When he looked back up, Ronan was leaning on the counter, watching him.

He exhaled noisily when Adam caught his eye and looked away again, towards the ice.

He rapped his knuckles on the counter restlessly. “Get some skates on, Parrish. I’ll race you.”

Adam laughed. “Not likely.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ll lose, Lynch. Obviously. Can’t win at something I can’t do.”

“Not with that attitude.” Ronan cocked his head to the side, something almost birdlike about the gesture. “You really don’t skate at all? Sargent never taught you?”

Adam shrugged. “She tried once or twice, I guess? It never really took.”

“It’s easy.”

“Everything’s easy when you know how to do it,” Adam pointed out.

Ronan tipped his head in acknowledgement. “Alright, that’s fair.” He looked around at the empty rink, then back at Adam, raising an eyebrow. “You wanna come and have a go?”

Adam blinked back at him. “What, on the ice?”

“Yes on the ice. I’d rather you not skate around on the carpet,” Ronan said. “It’ll be a ghost town in here until four-thirty anyway so it’s not like anyone will be able to watch. C’mon, I’ll show you how. You might even enjoy yourself.”

“But…” Adam started, then looked around, searching for an excuse. “I told you, Blue already tried. I just suck at it.”

“I’m a way better teacher than Sargent,” Ronan scoffed. When Adam still hesitated, Ronan lifted his hands up and backed off. “Alright, man, no worries, you don’t have to. I’m just bored. But I’ll be on the ice if you change your mind.”

Ronan retrieved his skates from under the counter and headed off towards the rink without another word. Adam tried his hand at half-hearted tidying for a few minutes, but he found he missed Ronan’s company, and his gaze kept drifting over towards the ice.

It _did_ look like fun. And Ronan made it look so _easy._

Adam sighed and kicked off his sneakers, swapping them out for some size ten skates. He took them over to one of the benches just outside the ice-rink and sat down to put them on.

Once he was sure they were properly fastened, he got to his feet and hobbled onto the ice, grasping for the bar the ran the whole way around the rink to keep himself upright.

He self-consciously looked around. Ronan was currently at the other end of the rink, skating slow figure of eights. He’d undoubtedly spotted Adam venturing onto the rink, but hadn’t yet approached.

Adam refocused on what he was doing and tentatively tried to skate forward. He went diagonal instead, losing grip of the bar and sliding too far out of reach. He didn’t know how to make himself stop and in trying to, he overbalanced. He scrambled for purchase but came up with nothing but air and his feet flew up from under him, landing Adam in a heap on the ice.

He pulled himself up into a sitting position as he tried to figure out how to stand. The fall hadn’t particularly hurt, but Adam sort of wanted the ground to swallow him whole. He hoped that somehow Ronan hadn’t seen it so that he could save some face.

It was wishful thinking; Ronan was there in seconds, looking down at Adam with a smile on his face.

“Don’t laugh,” Adam warned.

“I wasn’t going to.”

“You were supposed to be helping me,” he accused.

“You only just stepped onto the ice, I didn’t want to startle you,” Ronan said easily. “You okay?”

Adam considered the question. “I’m fine _._ But it’s _cold_ down here.”

Ronan held out a hand. He was wearing fingerless gloves that Adam recognised as a Blue Sargent original, and he took the offered hand, letting Ronan pull him up. His skates slipped again and he gripped Ronan’s arm for support, but Ronan was a sturdy, comforting weight, and he held Adam up until he was steady again.

“I _told_ you I sucked at this,” Adam grumbled, embarrassed and yet annoyed that he was embarrassed. He felt like Ronan had goaded him into this, but then he realised that wasn’t really true. Ronan had backed off; Adam had gotten onto the ice willingly, because...because _why?_ Because he wanted to prove to Ronan that he _could?_

“You really, really do,” Ronan said with a grin and Adam glared.

“You’re not helping.”

“Sure I am.” Ronan took both of Adam’s hands in his then shifted backwards a little.

“Ronan—”

“It’s okay,” Ronan said, giving Adam’s hands an almost imperceptible squeeze. His face was open and unguarded in a way Adam had never seen before. “I won’t let you fall.”

He gripped Ronan’s fingertips. “Okay.”

Skating backwards slowly, Ronan pulled Adam along. He stumbled a couple of times, but Ronan never let go, and soon he became used to how the ice felt under the skates. Ronan didn’t rush him, didn’t get exasperated, and soon enough Adam was able to do the basic skating motion and keep his balance at the same time.

“What did I say, Parrish?” Ronan said. Adam was looking at his feet but he heard the smile in Ronan’s voice and looked up. “Easy.”

He looked so proud that Adam felt his cheeks turn pink, and he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Easy.”

Ronan let go of Adam’s hands, although he kept himself in front of Adam, still skating backwards. He was annoyingly competent and it made Adam scowl.

Adam’s irritation quickly gave way to panic, when he spotted that the curve of the rink was coming up and he was going to have to either turn or crash into it.

Before he’d put a voice to said panic, Ronan moved so he was alongside Adam, taking his hand and gently coaxing him the right way. “I’ve got you, Adam.”

Through the speakers overhead, the song faded into _Head Over Heels_ by Tears For Fears — one of Adam’s favourites.

Ronan had kept his promise not to let Adam fall, but somehow it felt like falling anyway.

 

* * *

 

Something had changed in the air between Adam and Ronan.

Adam blamed it entirely on that goddamn skating lesson with all of its surreptitious looks and hand holding and a soundtrack that may as well have come straight from a John Hughes movie.

The thing was that Adam liked how it felt to like Ronan. He liked the way he sometimes caught Ronan looking at him, he liked every dumb joke and every conversation and every smile that somehow felt like it was meant for him and him alone.

He liked being in that stage where he was ninety percent sure Ronan liked him too, but where neither of them were saying anything about it. It was fun to just enjoy a crush when that was all it was.

Adam hadn’t had a proper crush in a long, long time, and he’d missed how it felt.

It felt slightly complicated that Ronan was technically his boss, though, and as badly as Adam wanted to kiss him, he also didn’t want to shatter what they currently had and make it awkward.

So instead he enjoyed their flirtation and left it at that.

Adam didn’t start work until the afternoon on the day before Thanksgiving, and when he arrived, there was someone else in his booth, smiling at him.

“Hello,” said the newcomer. “You must be Adam.”

He had golden curls and bright blue eyes and a warm, open face. He was clearly related to Ronan, although his sunny demeanor meant Adam doubted he was Declan, given everything he’d ever been told about Declan.

“And you must be Matthew.”

Matthew beamed. “That’s right. I’m an extra pair of hands for today, it’s gonna get crazy busy later on.”

For now, though, there wasn’t too much to do. The rink had been closed to the public earlier on while one of the local hockey teams practiced, and it was being resurfaced joyfully by Blue as they spoke, her long rock-paper-scissors losing streak finally at an end. The rink would reopen in half an hour or so, and Adam fully expected them to be busy until closing.

Matthew was chatty and bounced around from subject to subject, often without a discernible link between them. He was so different to Ronan and yet Adam saw the likeness in the smallest of gestures and affectations.

When the rink opened again and an onslaught of people came in, Adam was glad of the help. Matthew, having worked there before, knew what he was doing and he and Adam worked seamlessly together, managing to not get too overwhelmed or keep anybody waiting for too long.

Thanks to how busy they were, the time passed quickly, and soon there were only a few people left on the ice. Ronan had gone up to the office with a mournful sigh to try and sort out a holiday rota leaving Blue in charge on the ice.

With about ten minutes left until closing time, two guys walked in. There wasn’t enough time for them to skate, and Noah was busy putting chairs up on the tables in the cafe, so was clearly not expecting customers.

“Sorry guys, we’re closing now,” Adam said when they approached the booth as Matthew was busy putting skates away. “But we’re open again on Saturday so you can come by then.”

“Oh, that’s okay, we’re not here to skate,” one of them said, shooting Adam a smile that showed off perfect teeth. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Is Ronan around?”

Adam’s customer-friendly smile dropped from his face. A handsome stranger he didn’t know looking for Ronan annoyed him for no good reason, but before he could answer, Matthew’s voice sounded from behind him.

“Hey guys! You made it!”

The guy with the great teeth who’d spoken looked away from Adam. “Matthew! Just about. Ronan said to meet him here.”

“Oh, it’s because he has to stay late tonight, he probably wants you to give me a ride home. Have you met Adam?” Matthew put his hand on Adam’s shoulder.

“Haven’t had the pleasure.” He held out his hand and Adam shook it. “Gansey. Richard Gansey, but just call me Gansey. And this is Henry Cheng.”

Gansey’s companion smiled and winked.

“Adam Parrish,” Adam said.

“We’re Ronan’s friends, we went to school together,” Gansey continued. “We’re here for Thanksgiving.”

“Well, Ronan’s just up in the office. You can go up, if you want? Or he’ll probably be down soon,” Adam said.

“We can wait,” Henry said. “Gansey, I want to skate.”

“We can’t skate, I’m bad at it. And also they’re closing and we’re not allowed.”

“What is the point of being friends with the person who owns an ice-rink if we can’t skate out of hours?” Henry said airily.

The last of the customers had now left, and Blue was skating around on her own, going fast and doing spins now that she had the space for it.

“He’s not wrong,” Matthew said. “I’m gonna have a go.”

“Oh, do we have to?” Gansey complained.

“Don’t worry, our friendly ice-marshal Blue Sargent is on hand to help if you need it,” Adam said.

“Well there you go,” Henry said, prodding Gansey in the side. “We can’t keep friendly ice-marshal Blue Sargent waiting, now let’s _go.”_

Matthew sorted out skates for them while Adam went to lock up and turn off the outer light so that no one passing would think they were still open.

By the time he got back to the booth, everyone else was now on the ice, including Noah who’d obviously wanted to join in. Blue and Henry were on either side of Gansey, helping him along as he skidded around ungainly, and Matthew and Noah were racing around in circles.

Adam sat up on the counter to watch, and a couple of minutes later, Ronan returned from the office. Adam thought he’d head straight out onto the ice but instead he stopped by Adam, his elbow leaning on the counter and pressed lightly against Adam’s knee as they watched the others.

A tiny smile pulled at Ronan’s mouth, and Adam gestured towards the ice. “You not gonna go and join them?”

“Aren’t you?” Ronan returned.

“I’m good here,” Adam said. He still wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable in his skating abilities and would rather have another go without so many witnesses, so he could cling to Ronan’s hand again. He swallowed the thought.

Ronan glanced briefly at Adam and then away. “Me too.”

They stayed in companionable silence for a little bit, then Adam said, “Your Thanksgiving looks like it’ll be busy then.”

“Oh, yeah, probably,” Ronan said. “But my mom likes a busy house for the holidays and Gansey and Henry had no other plans so I invited them down. What are you doing for it?”

Adam usually went with Blue back to her mom’s house for Thanksgiving, but this year there was too much going on at the Sargent and co. household what with preparations for Orla’s wedding (which was, at the moment, still going ahead), along with various other comings and goings. It sounded like the place was a bit of a madhouse at the minute and Blue had been adamant about steering clear.

“Me and Blue were gonna sit in my apartment in our PJs all day watching movies,” Adam said, because that was their new plan. He was quite looking forward to it.

“...Okay,” Ronan said. “What are you going to eat?”

Adam shrugged. “Box mac and cheese? I dunno, we haven’t got that far.”

“Parrish, stop, you’re depressing me,” Ronan said. “Look, come and have dinner with us. Blue knows the address.”

“That’s a really nice offer, but it sounds like you’re gonna have a full house and I don’t want to intrude.”

Ronan sighed. “It’s not a fucking intrusion if I’m inviting you. My mom always makes too much food, she’ll be fucking delighted if I tell her she’s got two extra mouths to feed.”

Adam pondered the invitation, trying to figure out if it was a pity thing, or if Ronan really wanted him there. Before he’d decided, Ronan spoke up again.

“Just say if you don’t want to, you’re not gonna offend me.”

“No, it’s not that,” Adam said quickly. He didn’t want Ronan to rescind the offer. “Just, like...you don’t have to feel obligated, y’know?”

“Parrish,” Ronan said, in a tone that said he was running out of patience with the conversation. “We’re...friends. And it’s my understanding that friends sometimes invite each other places, such as over for dinner on Thanksgiving.”

Adam laughed. “Okay, smartass, you’ve made your point. I’ll double check with Blue, but from the looks of how well she seems to be getting on with Gansey and Henry, I think it’s a pretty safe bet you’ll need two extra chairs at your table tomorrow.”

“Great,” Ronan said, and he grinned. “That’s two extra people to distract Declan from talking to me instead.”

“Oh, I get it. You had an ulterior motive.”

“Of course I did, why _else_ would I have invited you?” Ronan said cheekily, and Adam shoved lightly at his arm.

“Asshole.”

“Yup.”

 

* * *

 

The Lynch family home was an old farmhouse that had clearly been added on to on several different occasions, resulting in a higgledy piggledy house with an interesting layout. It was on currently unused farmland, several barns and fields sprawled over several acres. Adam loved it instantly.

Blue drove, which meant it took them about twenty minutes longer than it should have, but they still managed to arrive around mid-morning. Aurora answered the door and immediately shepherded them into the living room after she’d fussed over them, taking their hats and coats and the bottles of wine they’d brought with them in their capacity as good guests.

Matthew was in the living room with Gansey and Henry, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They all called out rambunctious greetings, and Blue didn’t waste any time making herself comfortable in the space between Gansey and Henry. Adam perched on the edge of an armchair while Aurora took drink orders, wondering where Ronan was.

“Do you need any help, ma’am?” Adam asked.

“Oh no, honey, you’re a guest, make yourself comfortable,” she replied with a kind smile. “And please, Adam, call me Aurora.”

“Yes ma’am.” He winced. “Sorry. Aurora.”

She laughed and said, “You’ll get there,” on her way out.

Adam liked the sure way she said it, like Adam returning here was inevitable, that his presence would become common enough that he would be able to call her Aurora without stumbling. It made him feel tethered, somehow, but in a good way. He felt like even when he left Cabeswater as an employee, he’d still have a place there; he could go back and visit and be welcomed and familiar.

It was a warming realisation.

Adam settled in to watch the parade with the others, enjoying Matthew’s enthusiastic commentary, and Henry and Blue’s easy banter, and Gansey’s occasional ‘interesting little-known fact’. He felt antsy without Ronan there, though. He assumed both Ronan and Declan were in the kitchen with Aurora, but seeing as Aurora had insisted he relax, he didn’t want to wander in there only to be ordered back out again.

The muffled sound of the radio from the kitchen grew a little louder as the door opened and Ronan poked his head into the room. His eyes landed on Adam first, and he smiled. 

“Parrish. Sargent. Glad you could make it.” He lifted his eyes to Matthew. “Matthew, come and do some washing up.”

Matthew sighed. “I’ll only get in the way in there and you _know_ it.”

“Come on, Matty, you’re letting the side down. Make yourself useful.”

“I _am_ being useful, I’m entertaining your guests.”

Adam stood up before Ronan got his reply out. “I’ll help, I don’t mind.” He walked over to the door and Ronan shook his head.

“Parrish, you’re a guest—”

Adam pushed past Ronan out into the hallway. “No arguments, Lynch, I’m helping.”

He heard Ronan grumbling under his breath behind him, but Adam just pushed on through to the kitchen.

A dark-haired man in a white button-up was stirring something in a pot on the stove, his back to the rest of the room. Adam assumed this was Declan. Aurora stood at the island counter, filling a tray with drinks ready to take to everyone in the living room. She looked up and smiled at Ronan and Adam’s entrance.

“I see you were unable to recruit Matthew,” she said wryly to Ronan.

“He’s very busy ‘entertaining’,” Ronan replied, and Declan snorted, then turned around to face them.

“Sounds about right.”

“It’s all good anyway, we got a volunteer.” Ronan steered Adam over towards the sink which was piled up with dirty dishes and tossed him a pair of magenta rubber gloves. “You wash, I’ll dry.”

“Thanks for the help,” Declan said. “It’s Adam, right?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you two hadn’t met,” Ronan said. “Declan, Adam; Adam, Declan.”

Declan rolled his eyes. “Ronan’s great at introductions.”

“What? You know each other’s names now, what else d’you need to know?”

Adam smoothly cut in. “It’s nice to meet you, Declan. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Declan barked out a short laugh. “If what you’ve heard came from Ronan, that can’t possibly be a good thing.”

Ronan smiled sarcastically at his brother.

Aurora picked up her tray of drinks with a sigh and said, “It’s so lovely having everyone together for Thanksgiving.”

Both her sons shot her apologetic looks and she smiled patiently. “Play nicely, boys.”

“I will if he does,” Ronan and Declan said in unison, then glared at each other. Adam stifled a laugh, but Aurora’s carried on the whole way down the hall as she took through everyone’s drinks.

Adam pulled on his rubber gloves and got to work. He cut Ronan some slack by fielding an entire conversation with Declan about D.C., and then about his own upcoming job. Ronan added little to the conversation, but the look he slid Adam’s way suggested he knew what Adam was doing and he appreciated it.

Between himself and Ronan, the washing up didn’t take all that long, and after that Aurora tasked them with setting the table. Someone had already written out little place names and put them in front of the seats.

“Why the assigned seating?” Adam asked.

“Oh, Mom just likes to give things a sense of occasion. People don’t really have to pay attention to the name-cards, they can just sit wherever.”

But Adam knew that people _would_ pay attention to the name-cards, and he went around looking to see where everyone was. Ronan’s was near the top of the table, to the left of Aurora who was at the head of the table, Blue on his other side.

Adam found his own card nearer other end of the table on the opposite side, in between Matthew and Gansey. He picked it up and swapped it with Blue’s, painfully aware of Ronan’s eyes on him.

When he risked a look, Ronan’s ears were adorably pink. “You could have just sat there anyway, Parrish.”

“Ah, but now it’s official.”

Ronan snorted. “Dork.”

Dinner was ready soon afterwards. Everybody bustled to the table and took their seats, Declan and Ronan making themselves busy making sure everybody had a drink.

Adam liked sort of melting into the background and watching everyone else’s interactions. Particularly funny to witness was Henry shamelessly flirt with Gansey, Blue, _and_ Declan. (Gansey seemed used to it, Blue gave as good as she got, and Declan was incredibly flustered; it helped endear him to Adam a little bit.)

Conversations shot around wildly, and Adam dipped in and out of each one, struggling to keep track with so much going on around him when all he was really focused on was Ronan’s thigh pressed up against his own under the table.

Matthew and Henry were jovially discussing their favourite romantic comedies down their end of the table, Declan in between them at the head of it and not adding much of an input. He gave Henry a withering look when Henry asked if his favourite was _Legally Blonde._

“Nah,” Ronan said, getting to his feet to refill empty glasses with wine or water. “Declan likes _Bridget Jones’s Diary.”_

“Ooooh, good one,” Henry said, as Declan glared daggers at Ronan, who simply smiled back.

Finally, Declan shrugged and sighed. “I just want her to be happy.”

“It’s alright, she gets the guy eventually,” Henry said, patting Declan’s arm sympathetically.

“Yes, she does, but _then_ she loses him again and it goes round and round—”

Adam tuned out as Declan got into full rant mode about the Bridget Jones movies. “What’s your favourite?” he asked Ronan when he sat back down again.

“Don’t really have one,” Ronan said with a shrug.

“The Princess Diaries,” Declan, Matthew and Aurora all said at once, and the whole table erupted in laughter.

“Alright, laugh it up,” Ronan said with a scowl. “That movie was a classic and you _all_ know it.”

Sometime later on when dinner was over and everyone was full and happy and sitting in front of the fire in the living room playing games, Adam slipped out and went to the bathroom. The one downstairs had been occupied so he’d gone upstairs, and after washing his hands he didn’t feel quite ready to return to everybody else.

The door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar, and judging by the photocopied speeding tickets stuck to it, it was clearly Ronan’s room, even though he didn’t technically live here anymore. After a brief hesitation over whether or not it was appropriate for him to go in there, Adam pushed the door fully open and switched the light on.

The bed was unmade—Ronan had obviously slept here the night before—and Adam found himself curiously undone by the idea of Ronan kicking off his blankets as he got up to start the day. Ronan outside of work, Ronan at home, Ronan surrounded by family...these were all things Adam had never expected he’d see, nor that he’d _want_ to see when he’d first started at Cabeswater.

And now here he was, standing in Ronan’s childhood bedroom, feeling overwhelmed and a little bit lost.

He sat down on the edge of Ronan’s bed, knowing he really shouldn’t be in here, but unable to bring himself to leave just yet.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there on his own—a few minutes maybe—but he was brought out of his reverie by a now all-too familiar voice.

 _“There_ you are.”

Adam turned his head to see Ronan hovering in the doorway and he managed a weak smile. “Sorry. Just needed a minute.”

“You’re all good, man,” Ronan said. He hesitated, then walked inside, sitting down next to Adam.

“So,” Adam said conversationally. “This is your room.”

Ronan snorted. “Yeah. Or used to be.”

“Is it okay that I’m in here? I just needed to be somewhere quiet.”

“It’s fine, Parrish, you can go wherever you like. Are you okay?”

Adam rubbed tiredly at his eyes. “I’m fine. It’s just, sensory overload, I guess?”

“I get it, dude. It’s hard when everyone’s all talking at once. You’ve got the right idea actually, I wish I’d done this hours ago.” Ronan yawned and stretched out beside Adam, dropping his head onto Adam’s lap. “I’m just gonna—” he yawned again—“close my eyes for a sec.”

Adam smiled, safe where Ronan couldn’t see him. “Tired?”

“Mm. Been up since five helping Mom,” he mumbled, voice muffled from where his cheek was pressed into Adam’s thigh.

“Well, it was worth it. The food was awesome.”

“Good,” came the drowsy reply. “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too,” Adam whispered. Gently, he settled his hand in Ronan’s hair, rubbing his thumb against the soft bristles. He wasn’t sure what this was, this thing with Ronan. They were friends, but were they more than that? Could Adam even _have_ that?

He wanted, for once, to not have to analyse it.

Ronan slept soundly on as Adam traced circles in his hair.

Quietly, he sighed. “Well, _shit.”_

 

* * *

 

“I’m gonna tell you something, and you’re really going to enjoy it, but I want you to try really hard not to be smug about it.”

Blue put down her yoghurt, eyes wide and eager. “I solemnly swear I will not be smug. Honestly, Adam, when am I _ever_ smug?”

“Okay.” Adam sighed and covered his face with his hands. He couldn’t believe he was being like this — he was an adult for fuck’s sake. He peered at Blue through his fingers. “I have a crush.”

“...On?” Blue prompted when he failed to elaborate.

Adam dropped his hands, and quietly said, “Ronan.”

Blue said nothing for a moment, just nodded very seriously. But then a smile broke out across her face. “Can I be a _little_ bit smug?”

“No. You can’t.” Adam pointed an accusing finger at her. “You _knew_ this would happen, didn’t you?”

“Of course I didn’t. I mean, I’m not _surprised,_ but I’m also not psychic, y’know?” She grabbed Adam’s hand and squeezed it between her own. “Do you think he likes you too?”

Adam hesitated, then nodded shyly. “I think so. Yeah.”

Blue’s smile was even wider now. “Again, not a surprise. I saw the way you looked at each other at Thanksgiving. Plus you like completely disappeared for a million years.” She gasped. “Did something _happen?”_ She wiggled her eyebrows so Adam would catch her drift.

“No, nothing like that. I mean, he fell asleep on my lap and I stroked his hair... _what_ are you smiling at, I’m having a crisis here!”

“Oh, but Adam, that’s so cute!” Blue’s expression sobered when she fully registered Adam’s. “Okay, back up then; why is this a crisis?”

“Because I’m leaving soon to start a new job.”

Blue stared at him, confused. “What’s your point?”

Adam could feel himself getting exasperated; he knew everything just sounded like excuses. “Look, it’s all fun now because we see each other every day which has meant we’ve got to know each other really fast and everything feels really intensified. But if we start something up properly, then it can only be like this for a little while longer, and then I won’t be around every day. I’ll be working long hours and I’ll have to try and fit Ronan in around that. It doesn’t seem fair.”

“Adam...” Blue started, then trailed off like she was looking for the right way to phrase whatever she wanted to say. “It’s not like he’d just be waiting around with nothing to do, waiting for you to call. You do realise that Ronan _also_ works long hours, right?”

“Of course I do.”

“Lots of people have perfectly functional relationships with people they don’t work with. It’s called a work-life balance. You should try it sometime.”

Adam grasped for the words to make her understand. “I _know_ that, I’m not saying...ugh, never mind.”

Blue softened. “Adam, c’mon. Tell me what you’re saying.”

“It’s just...I wasn’t looking for anything. And now there’s Ronan, and I really, really like him, Blue. Like, so much. But he deserves someone who can give him a hundred percent and I just won’t be able to do that once I start my new job.”

Blue patted his arm. “That’s an astronomically unhealthy way of looking at it. No one can ever offer up a hundred percent of themselves, are you kidding me?”

Adam cringed. “Yeah alright, fair enough, I didn’t mean it quite like that. I just meant...a relationship wasn’t on my radar to be a priority. And I can’t do casual with Ronan. I know I can’t.”

“Christ, Adam, you haven’t even kissed him yet. What if he’s a terrible kisser?”

Adam groaned and lowered his forehead onto the table. “He’s not. I can tell.”

_"How?”_

“Have you heard the way he swears? He’s definitely a great kisser. Anyway, the point is—”

“The point is that I’m not even the one you should be talking to about this,” Blue interrupted. “Adam, I love you, but you need to talk to Ronan and see where he’s at with all of this. Because talking is a thing we can do that can actually help, believe it or not.”

Adam knew she was right, he just didn’t even know how to start that conversation with Ronan when — as had been established — nothing had even technically _happened_ between them. All it was was a feeling, a gut instinct, that this currently nameless thing they had going was important, and it made him feel good. Adam liked feeling good. He didn’t want to ruin it.

“Can you talk to him for me?” he asked, only half-jokingly.

“Adam Parrish, this is not high-school, I am not passing notes for you.”

“Alright,” Adam conceded. “It was worth a shot.”

 

* * *

 

Of course, for a while, Adam didn’t broach the subject with Ronan at all.

He thought maybe his feelings for Ronan would go away on their own if he didn’t acknowledge them, but it was hard not to acknowledge them when Ronan was so...well, _Ronan_ all the time.

It didn’t help that Blue kept shooting him meaningful looks all the time and frowning in disapproval every time Adam informed her that he hadn’t yet talked to Ronan about it.

There was, at least, a lot of distractions. The Christmas decorations all came out and it was a group effort over several days to put them all up a little at a time. This also meant that the Christmas playlist was now firmly in the music rotation, and Adam was indeed already sick of Michael Bublé.

Someone — and popular opinion pointed towards Noah — had put mistletoe up in several places. He’d never actually admitted to it but he did mention that not nearly enough people had been adhering to the mistletoe rules. Adam was trying to avoid bumping into Ronan under any of them; he was too tempted to actually kiss him.

By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, there’d been so many innocuous touches between him and Ronan that he could hardly take it anymore. It was too much, and it was never enough, and Adam felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t do anything about it.

He was sure Ronan felt the same way. No one had ever looked at Adam like that before; like he was the only thing they could see. Adam could get drunk off the feeling he got when Ronan’s eyes met his.

Before he left for the night, he went up to the office where Ronan had been holed up for most of the afternoon. Adam needed to go home and pack a bag then pick up Blue before the two of them headed back to Blue’s family home for a couple of days.

“I’m heading out now,” Adam said, hovering over the threshold. “Just wanted to say goodnight, and Merry Christmas.”

“Yeah, night, Parrish,” Ronan said, distractedly pressing a few keys on his computer’s keyboard. “Fuck’s sake, fucking... _fuck_ I hate being manager.”

“You should let Blue do it,” Adam said, offhand.

Ronan span around in his spinny chair. “Why, did she say something?”

“Well, no, but Blue’s great at that kind of thing. She’s more organised than you so she’d probably get things done more efficiently, and she probably wouldn’t hate it, as long as she can keep skating as well? Plus you trust her.”

Ronan looked at Adam like he was a revelation. “Why the fuck didn’t I think of that?”

“I dunno, man, you were probably too busy trying to spite Declan.” Ronan smiled sharply at that. Adam continued, “Don’t get your hopes up though. She might not want to. Just...from what I know about Blue, she’d probably appreciate the responsibility. And the pay-rise.”

“Shit,” Ronan said, then he laughed. “I’m gonna ask her.” He pointed at Adam. “You are a genius.”

Adam smiled. “Happy to help.”

Ronan got to his feet and walked over. “Merry Christmas, Parrish,” he said, and opened his arms.

Adam hugged him back immediately; his arms wound around Ronan’s neck as Ronan’s hands splayed out along Adam’s spine, and there was something so very non-platonic about this hug. It was too intimate, too _long,_ and when Adam pulled away a little, he glanced up.

He let out a breathless laugh as Ronan followed his gaze up towards the mistletoe hanging in the doorway. “Is Noah kidding with this?”

“Probably,” Ronan said, and when Adam looked back, Ronan’s eyes were on his lips.

“Ronan,” he whispered helplessly, and then his back was against the door frame and Ronan was kissing him, finally.

It felt like weeks and weeks had been leading to this kiss, to Ronan pressing up against him, a kiss so deep Adam almost couldn’t remember his own name while it lasted. The kind of kiss that you never wanted to end because it made everything else irrelevant for as long as it lasted.

But end, it did, and they stood clutching each other closely.

“I wanted to do that just once,” Ronan said hoarsely, his forehead against Adam’s. “Even if once is all I’m ever gonna get.”

 

* * *

 

“He _kissed_ you?” Blue said from the passenger seat, and at Adam’s nod she squealed. “And then what happened?”

“And then you called me asking where I was and I realised how late I was and I apologised and left.”

“Oh, Adam.”

He winced. “I know. It wasn’t my finest hour. But in my defence I was a little bit dazed. He kissed me, Blue. Like he _meant_ it.”

“Well obviously he meant it, Ronan never does anything he doesn’t mean.”

Adam nodded nonchalantly without taking his eyes off the road, but his heart was racing underneath. _He likes me. He really likes me._ It was the confirmation Adam had needed. The only way forward now was to have an honest conversation, and that would have to wait two whole days.

He didn’t want to leave Ronan with nothing, though. It was no secret that Ronan abhorred his cellphone, but Adam sent him a message on Christmas Day anyway, a snapshot of him and Blue in Santa hats sitting in front of the Christmas tree.

Ronan took long enough to reply that Adam started to get nervous, but eventually a snapshot of his own got sent through, of the Christmas dinner spread on the dining table.

It immediately made Adam think of Thanksgiving, and of him and Ronan sitting close together, laughing and joking with friends and family, and how wholly Ronan had made Adam feel like he was a part of that so straight-forwardly. Thanksgiving had been the turning point, Adam now realised. The point at which it became apparent his fun little workplace crush had now developed into full on inescapable feelings.

For the rest of the day, he and Ronan exchanged sporadic snapshots, and late that night, when the house had fallen quiet, Adam finally sent a message using actual words.

**\--can i call you?**

A couple of minutes later, his phone started to ring in his hand. Adam answered and lifted it to his ear, his heart in his throat. “Hello?”

 _“You don’t have to ask, Parrish,”_ Ronan said, and it was so indescribably good to hear his voice.

Adam breathed out. “Thought you might be asleep. You had a nice day?”

_“Matthew got me a tabletop air hockey game, so yeah, it’s been pretty good.”_

Adam smiled; he’d seen the air hockey table in one of Ronan’s earlier snapshots. “It’s been good here, too. Busy, but good.”

A silence hanged heavy between them. Ronan obviously knew Adam was calling for a reason, and so seemed to be waiting him out.

“Can I ask you something?”

_“Anything.”_

“Last night, when we...when we kissed. You said that you wanted to kiss me just once, even if that was all you’d ever get.”

_“...I remember, Parrish. I was there.”_

“Does that mean you wouldn’t want to kiss me again?”

Ronan sighed. _“You know that’s not true. C’mon, you’re supposed to be clever, Adam.”_

“Well what did you mean, then?”

 _“What do_ you _want, Parrish? How about you tell me?”_

Adam felt like he was doing this all wrong. “I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to you in person but then I never knew what to say or how to bring it up, and just...the way you look at me, Ronan, _God._ I didn’t want to spoil that. I didn’t want that to ever stop.”

Ronan said nothing for a torturously long time, but just before Adam was about to say something else, he finally spoke up. _“It doesn’t have to.”_

“I’m leaving. It won’t be the same.”

Ronan scoffed, such a familiar sound that it settled something in Adam, even though he was only hearing it through the phone. _“You’re starting a new job, not leaving the country. You’re not even moving out of your apartment, Parrish.”_

“I know, I’m being dramatic, it’s just...ah, fuck, I _like_ you, Ronan. I like you _so_ much. And I never saw this coming which is why I’m being ridiculous about it.”

_“I like you too.”_

“Well thank fuck for that,” Adam said. He felt a little hysterical.

_“I just don’t want to have a casual, no strings, ‘see how it goes’ kind of thing with you. I’m in this, if you are. I’m serious about you. Fuck, I sound so lame…”_

“No,” Adam said. “Not lame at all. But...same. About the being serious. I’m just worried.”

_“About what?”_

“Time,” Adam admitted. “Balancing my time between work and you and myself. I want to get my priorities sorted.”

 _“Okay,”_ Ronan said. _“Smart. So what’s the biggest priority for you?”_

Adam thought about it, but in the end, there was only one answer. “To be happy.”

He could hear the smile in Ronan’s voice when he answered. _“So we’ll figure it out. Together.”_

 

* * *

 

New Year’s Eve was a busy one at Cabeswater Ice Rink. They were open late to accomodate the occasion; a family friendly one which meant kids were allowed.

Quite a lot of the kids Ronan taught had made it with their families, including Opal who greeted both Adam and Ronan with the secret handshake before running off to skate with her friends.

They had extra help tonight; Declan, Matthew and Aurora had all made it in to lend a hand. Things had thawed somewhat between Ronan and Declan, but Ronan was especially pleased with Aurora’s presence. He’d confided in Adam that she was considering offering some more advanced classes for skaters, which would be the most involvement she’d had at the rink in years.

Blue had officially accepted Ronan’s offer to make her manager in his stead, whilst he’d take on the role of assistant manager instead, one that he insisted was largely for appearances sake. “You’ll have to do all the important shit, Sargent,” he said with a grin. “Good luck.”

He joked about it, but he’d still be working as hard as anyone else did. He just wouldn’t need to worry quite as much about the business side of it anymore; he and Blue could do it as a team, and Blue was much better and more organised at all the paperwork.

For the next month, he’d be walking Blue through everything, and then it would all be official, coincidentally right as Adam would be leaving to start his own new position.

He was excited and nervous, and he didn’t know how everything was all going to play out, but he at least knew that whatever would happen, he’d have Ronan in his corner. Which was a pretty big thing to know about a relationship that was technically only a week old.

It seemed like neither Adam nor Ronan did things that mattered by halves.

The party seemed to be a hit, no doubt thanks to the incredible food Noah and Aurora had prepared, as well as the excessive ABBA that featured on the NYE playlist. (At least, Ronan called it excessive; Noah said there was no such thing as excessive amounts of ABBA.) Adam and Matthew were kept pretty busy at the skate booth, but their station grew quieter as it got closer to midnight and excitement started to ramp up both on the ice and over in the cafe area.

Adam sent Matthew out to join his family on the ice for the countdown, promising to hold the fort down on his own.

In the end, he wasn’t alone at all, because just as Blue’s voice came over the tannoy system and started counting down from ten, Ronan appeared beside him, cheeks flushed from his ice-marshal duties.

“Don’t you wanna be out there to ring the new year in?” Adam asked.

Ronan shook his head. “I’m right where I wanna be.”

Adam grinned.

**“3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”**

He kissed Ronan as the rink erupted in cheers and well wishes.

He could feel Ronan smiling into the kiss and he pulled away. “Happy New Year, Ronan.”

“Same to you, Parrish. You made any resolutions?”

Adam slipped his hand into Ronan’s and squeezed. “I can think of one or two.”

 

* * *

 

 

**ONE YEAR LATER**

***

Adam had a voicemail on his phone from a very stressed out sounding Ronan when he got home from work:

_“I know you don’t work here anymore and I know you’ll be tired but you also know I wouldn’t ask unless I was really desperate. There’s a birthday party booked tonight, Sargent’s sick and no one else can come in, so it’s just me and Noah and I really, really need an extra pair of hands. Starts at seven if you can make it. Let me know.”_

Adam had been looking forward to an evening of doing absolutely nothing, but Ronan had never once left a message like this since Adam had stopped working at the rink.

He texted Ronan: **fine. but im gonna complain about it the entire time**

Ronan sent back a simple heart emoji. Still not much one for words if he could help it.

Adam had enough time to shower and eat before he left, and he arrived at Cabeswater a little before seven.

He could immediately tell something was amiss; there were a few lights on inside the rink but not as many as there should be, and also the door was locked. Frowning, Adam made his way around to the back door, which was mercifully unlocked.

“Ronan?” he called up the stairs, but there was no answer. Shrugging, Adam made his way through to the main rink area.

The pretty lights were on above the ice as well as a couple of the outer rink ones, but other than that it was fairly dark. It was clearly not open and it was clearly not set up for a birthday party like Ronan had said. Not to mention that there was no sign of Ronan _or_ Noah.

Feeling a little uneasy, Adam pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Ronan as he approached the entrance way.

To his relief, Ronan answered straight away.

_“Parrish.”_

“Ronan, where _are_ you, there’s no one here. I thought there was a party?” He sighed. “Did you get the wrong day?”

 _“Nope, it’s the right day. Just go over to your booth, I’ll be there soon.”_ He hung up before Adam could reply.

“...Okay,” Adam grumbled at his phone, but he did as Ronan had suggested and headed for the skate booth.

When he got there, he noticed that the ice-skates he always used were perched on the counter, a sticky-note reading ‘PUT THESE ON AND GO FOR A SKATE’ in Ronan’s blocky capitals.

Again, Adam looked around for a sign of anyone else being there, but he could hear nothing and see no one.

“Ronan?” he called. “Are you here?”

There was no reply, which Adam had expected, but it didn’t stop him from trying again. “Is _anyone_ here?”

Still, silence prevailed.

Bewildered, but nevertheless intrigued, Adam took the skates over to the bench next to the rink to put them on. The sticky-note had given Adam a task to do, after all. Maybe following its instructions triggered Ronan’s appearance.

He tentatively stepped onto the ice, keeping one hand on the outer wall until he was confident he could keep his balance. He’d had many private lessons with Ronan over the last year but he was still always a little shaky at first.

“Alright, Ronan, I’m skating now,” he muttered as he pushed off from the wall. He slowly skated the perimeter, keeping an eye out in case there were any more clues for him to find.

Adam had no context for what was going on, but anticipation started to build inside him. Something was about to happen.

When he’d been skating around on his own for _just_ long enough to start to feel silly, all the outer lights went off, and the disco lights above the ice changed to starry romantic ones. His heart started to race; it was so quiet that he could hear it.

He looked up at the lights as he skated around, strangely feeling like he might cry. He thought he knew what this was, except that he didn’t, and the anticipation was killing him.

Through the speakers, _Head Over Heels_ started to play, and Adam lowered his eyes from the ceiling and looked across the ice. Ronan was just outside the ice on one knee.

“Oh my God,” Adam said, barely audible. He skated over to Ronan as fast as he could, skidding to a halt in front of him and accidentally sending a light ice-spray over him. “Oh, shit, I’m so sorry.”

Ronan laughed and wiped his face off. “Thanks, Parrish.”

Adam looked from Ronan’s face — he was nervous but trying not to show it — to his position to the little box in his hand. “Ronan…”

“Hey, Adam,” Ronan smiled. “I kind of got you here under false pretenses.”

“There’s no party?”

Ronan shrugged. “A private party, maybe. That remains to be seen.”

Adam laughed but it caught in his throat. Ronan reached for his hand.

“I know this is cheesy as fuck, with the ice-rink and the lights and the fucking song. But you deserve a big romantic gesture. This is where I fell in love with you, and so this is where I ask you to share your life with me.”

Ronan opened the ring-box and Adam gasped.

Ronan took a breath. “Adam. Will you marry me?”

 _“Yes,_ you asshole, _yes,”_ Adam said, and Ronan grinned and slipped the ring onto his finger. Adam laughed through tears. “Get up so I can kiss you already.”

Not needing to be told twice, Ronan stood up and Adam launched himself into his arms. Ronan swung him around and pressed his face into Adam’s neck, then put him down so Adam could finally kiss his fiance like he deserved to be kissed.

“You said _yes,”_ Ronan whispered. “You’re gonna marry me.”

Adam smiled and kissed him again. “That was always the plan.”

**Author's Note:**

> this was so self-indulgent, it may be my favourite thing i've written. but then again that might just be because it's the most recent thing i've written.
> 
> here is the soundtrack to this fic if you want a mood setter, it's what i was listening to while writing it: https://open.spotify.com/user/1sb0o32akcbuzxac2r67o5l4y/playlist/6y4TESm2xjEVwKCUlcJUvp?si=2qmUJssOSFKsBOKMq41I1Q


End file.
